This Picture Frame Is Actually a Speaker and I Couldn't Stop Using It

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Let's get right to it: Speakers aren't the nicest looking devices to display in your home. In fact, when my partner wanted surround sound in our apartment and brought home two speakers to have by our couch, I insisted one live on this West Elm drink table and not on an ugly stick stand. (He obliged because happy wife equals happy life.) Since I'm always looking for creative ways to conceal tech products, I was 100 percent intrigued when Samsung announced the Music Frame: a speaker meets photo frame. I was given the opportunity to review the Music Frame for House Beautiful ahead of its release, and after a few weeks of using it in my home, I am happy to share all my thoughts ahead.

For those who don't know, the new product initially debuted at CES 2024 and is now available for purchase at $399.99. If you're balking at the price already, hear me out: I feel that the price tag is fair for what you get, plus you won't find another speaker designed like this one on the market. I will get into the nitty-gritty details, from setup to user experience, below, but know that the Music Frame is not just another pretty tech product that has no substance. It's actually pretty great (I'm playing music from it as I write this sentence), and by the end of this review, you'll know everything you need to add to cart, too.

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How the Music Frame Works

The Music Frame, like the name suggests, is Samsung's first-ever speaker designed to look like a picture frame. I call it the "cousin" to the brand's cult-favorite Frame TV, and you can have it on its stand or mount it on your wall. Just like a regular picture frame, you can swap out the included generic images with your own personal photos, as long as your photos are 10"H x 8"W, the actual viewable area is 8" x 8". Aesthetics aside, there are several key features to note about the Music Frame.

First, it supports stereo sound with only one unit, unlike some other products that require two units in order to produce stereo sound. It also supports Dolby Atmos Music & Sound—the spatial audio technology is known for delivering the most immersive sound experience. In other words: it's that surround sound you'd want in a home theater system. If you have a Samsung sound bar or Frame TV, you can connect the Music Frame to all your devices and optimize the audio channels to operate as one for more powerful audio. You can also sync up to six Music Frames together, which is nice if you prefer the look of having more than one photo frame. Additionally, you can connect to the Music Frame via WiFi or Bluetooth, giving you further versatility in how you want to play your music. You can control the wireless speaker with your voice using either Bixby, Alexa, or Google Assistant too.

Delivery and Setup

Right now, you can buy the Music Frame from Samsung directly or from its partnering retailers like Best Buy and P.C. Richard & Son. We inquired if this will be sold on Amazon, which already sells the Frame TV, but that's still yet to be determined. Since House Beautiful was one of the first publications to get its hands on the Music Frame to test, the delivery process was streamlined and simple. For those ordering though through Samsung, you can get it delivered in as little as three weeks. When the package arrived to my house, it was a little heavy (the Music Frame weighs 14 pounds) and packaged well—there were no holes or dents in the brown box it came in.

In terms of set up, there aren't a ton of items to put together, which is nice if you get overwhelmed by assembly parts like I do. Once everything was out of the box, I followed the steps on the instruction manual, which was relatively clear for the most part. It was a breeze to figure out how to snap on the stand and hook up the one wire to my outlet.

The only frustrating part of this process was figuring out how to switch out the picture because the instructions were not clear. I was pulling on the back part (that holds the photo) and was worried I'd break something. After five minutes running my hands along all the edges, I got it and I was able to find a photo that I had at home that magically fit into the 10" x 8" dimension. (Fried chili crisp oil for life!) I'm using the Music Frame with the stand for now, since I don't want to mount this on my wall, but I imagine when the time comes, the task of mounting the frame will be a little more challenging (for myself at least).

Performance Review

Now the most exciting part: playing music! I immediately connected my Spotify playlist to the Music Frame and started blasting Dua Lipa's "Training Season" at 10 p.m. The audio sounded very clear, and the bass felt strong to me. To compare audio clarity, after playing the song for a few minutes, I then played the same song on my Sonos and couldn't tell the difference between the two. According to Samsung, its "Space Fit Sound technology calibrates the audio to the size of your room, customizing it to your space for optimized quality sound output." The Music Frame hides two woofers, two tweeters, and two mid-drivers in the rear behind the photo, which is impressive because I kept trying to figure out where exactly the sound emitted from. Not being able to see the speakers is a nice aesthetic detail as well.

You can play songs via Bluetooth, but I also downloaded Samsung's SmartThings app to see what the fuss was about. You can manage audio levels via the app and connect to WiFi through here for better playback control. You can also adjust the audio levels on the back of the Music Frame by lightly tapping on the icons that seamlessly blend in with the color of the frame.

I'm not a Spotify power user by any means, but with the Music Frame, I find myself playing songs more frequently. I think that's due to the novelty of this item, and the fact that I'm an aesthetically-driven buyer. The design of this product makes me want to use it more. Since I didn't wall mount this, I was curious to see if the sound quality would hold up if the Music Frame was pressed up against another surface. According to Samsung reps, since sound emits from the front slot located between the bezel and photo frame, the sound won't be muffled when wall mounted. Additionally, the woofer located in the back can maintain consistent mid/high/low sound balance thanks to the brand's Space Fit Sound technology.

Pros and Cons

Is the Music Frame Worth Buying?

If you like your technology products to look nice, then yes. If you don't care about design at all, then no. Samsung's Music Frame appeals to people like myself, who fall into that first camp. Aside from looking pretty though, thankfully the Music Frame does produce clear and flawless audio that even impressed my tech-obsessed husband, who was dubious of this product.

It's a good option for those who want to combine design with functionality as other more traditional-looking speakers that are just as good cost around the same price. This product is especially great for those who already have a lot of Samsung's home entertainment systems in their house as the Music Frame fits right in. Unfortunately, I don't own any other Samsung audio products, but after trying the Music Frame, I think it's time to reconsider and finally snag a Frame TV, too.

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